Future looks bleak for Turkey’s ruling party

With closure likely, AKP looks for comeback plan

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s ruling party has begun to expect that the Constitutional Court will close it down in the next few months and ban the prime minister from politics, and is now searching for a way to hold onto power, senior party members have told Reuters.

Turkey was plunged into political turmoil in March when the Constitutional Court accepted a case by the Court of Appeals’ chief prosecutor, who seeks the closure of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). He also wants 71 party members banned, including President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over accusations they breached Turkey’s secular constitution by supporting Islamist activities. After weeks of upbeat statements, the Islamist-rooted AKP now believes its chances for survival are bleak, and has begun planning how to return to power as a new movement.

“The AKP will be closed, Erdogan is expected to be banned and some other members too,” a government minister, who declined to be named, told Reuters. “This view is shared by many in the Cabinet.” Another senior AKP member agreed, adding that there was a high possibility that Gul, who was elected by parliament last year, would also be banned from belonging to a political party for five years. As Gul is president, any ban would take effect only once his term ends.

“I’m very worried for Turkey’s future, but our fate lies in the hands of the 11 judges and we can only predict what they will decide,” the senior AKP member said. “The mood is very dark in the party.”

The Constitutional Court, which sees it as its duty to defend the secular principles of the republic, may rule on the case as early as July, senior AKP members said. “We would then form a new party,” a senior party member said. The AKP, which won re-election last year, strongly denies the charges and says they are politically motivated.

Turkey has banned more than 20 political parties for alleged Islamist or Kurdish separatist activities, including the predecessor of the AKP as recently as 2001.

There are a number of possibilities open for the AKP and its leaders, were the court to rule against them. Party executives are currently working on creating a new political party, the AKP sources said. If Erdogan and a large number of MPs are banned, a new parliamentary election is likely. The MPs, including Erdogan, would then run as independent candidates and, once elected, create a new party under another name, sources said.